defense lawyers
3
3.2
- noun
- /dɪˈfɛns ˈlɔɪərz/
- US
:
abogados defensores
- defense lawyers and prosecutors
- Defense lawyers say
The whole thing is set in the offices of his defence lawyers as they try to invent some way of getting him off the hook.
- The whole thing is set in the offices of his defence lawyers as they try to invent some way of getting him off the hook.
Examples
-
Not only did the German defense lawyers protest against the whole idea, the French and Russians also seemed to have trouble with the concept.
Academic text (1997) -
OK, so as Arthur knows, our job as defense lawyers is to come up with a reasonable hypothesis of innocence.
-
Most experienced defense lawyers will concede that 98 percent of their clients are guilty, but it is their job to test the prosecution.
Academic text (2004) -
Defense lawyers have had little in the way of hard evidence to support their contentions about the shadow effect of punitive damages.
Academic text (1997) -
But many criminal defense lawyers and civil libertarians decry the practice, which they say is overly broad and seldom, if ever, truly voluntary.
Academic text (2004) -
This heightened the concerns of the defense lawyers because they wanted to ensure that prospective jurors knew nothing about Tokars' federal convictions, for which he had already been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Academic text (1997) -
Defense lawyers say a U.S. Supreme Court pronouncement last year on punitive damages is prompting them to take a hard look at the constitutionality of the instructions that are supposed to help jurors decide how much a defendant should pay.
Academic text (2004) -
The defense lawyers presented a strong case for their client's innocence during the trial.
-
In the courtroom, the defense lawyers argued vigorously against the prosecution's claims.
-
Defense lawyers play a crucial role in ensuring that everyone receives a fair trial.
Synonyms
713
4.3
A lawyer who speaks for someone in court
146
5.8
A lawyer who speaks for a client in court
144
3.4
A lawyer who speaks for someone accused of a crime in court
68
3.2
A group of lawyers who represent a person accused in a court case
57
3.2
A lawyer who helps someone accused of a crime in court
55
3.8
A lawyer who represents people who cannot pay for one in criminal cases
36
3.6
A person who represents people in court during trials
8
4.7
A lawyer who speaks for clients in court cases before a judge or jury
1
7.8
A lawyer who speaks in court for someone
A lawyer who represents clients in court and speaks for them
Antonyms
789
4.6
A lawyer who represents the government and brings charges against someone accused of a crime
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'defense' refers to the legal pleading/team that defends someone and 'lawyers' are legal practitioners, so together they straightforwardly mean lawyers who represent or defend the accused. This noun+noun (or noun-modifier) pattern is regular in English and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
Defense lawyers is a phrase built from defense meaning protection and lawyers meaning people who help in court. Picture them standing between the accused and the other side like a shield, so the phrase means 'lawyers who represent and protect someone accused of a crime'.